This article from The New York Times doesn’t provide direct advice for parents, but does offer an interesting look at the next generation of teachers.  While fewer high-achieving college graduates opt for education as a profession, mid-level career professionals are starting to fill the ranks, and they’re bringing their business heads with them.  This is a significant trend, according to the National Center for Education Information.  In the last two years, approximately 70,000 professionals have initiated career changes into teaching, and these folks are forecasted to relieve shortfalls in math, science, foreign language and special education.  Certification processes are making the change easier for mid-career shifters.  According to the article, “forty-seven states and the District of Columbia have created 122 alternative routes to teacher certification in recent years.”

This trend may not be a surprise after witnessing Enron and other recent corporate blunders, but the effect on education processes will be pronounced.  “With an average age of 35 and seven to eight years’ experience in another profession, this new breed brings marketplace attitudes to teaching and presents a challenge to the status quo, says Susan Moore Johnson, a professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education.” As parents, it is important for us to realize that our kids will not likely have teachers who have chosen education early in their career.  The communication processes will likely be very different in the years to come, and we need to not only keep up with the trends, but also make sure the coming changes are actually an improvement.

The New York Times (free, registration required) provides a nice summary of this new trend.  Schools are not necessarily ready for teachers demanding a “...collaborative approach to change, differentiated workplace roles (classroom teacher, curriculum development, outreach duties) and performance-based pay....” Some think a crop of teachers fresh out of the boardroom is just what our schools need.  According to C. Emily Feistritzer, president of the National Center for Education Information, “These teachers are mature, see the value of education, intend to stay longer in the job and think all kids can learn....”

It will certainly be interesting to watch and participate in this change.  As education systems adapt to their new front-line employees, parents have a valuable opportunity to encourage change and potentially make huge improvements in the schooling our children receive.